Rap Quotes & News

I’m a Kanye fan.

Like, a BIG Kanye fan. In 2009, when he ran up on Taylor Swift at the VMAs, I may or may not have dressed up as him for Halloween in a picture-perfect outfit. Same wash of jeans, same haircut, same black button-up shirt, you name it.

Kanye at the 2009 VMAs

I got some indie/hipster friends on Facebook that love dissing Kanye. I take it as an invite to step in and explain why they’re wrong in whatever assumption they’re running on.

This may be why I took “Yeezus” so hard. I had a tough time liking it. Most of the tracks had grating synths layered over minimalist beats, which sound so different than his normal production. “Blood on the Leaves” is the only track that I vibed to on my first listen, and only then since it sampled an old-school NOLA track…

So, after a couple of listens, I started to not hate Yeezy for evolving from his soul-sampling roots on Yeezus.

Does Kanye stick to a ‘formula’ for this CD? No.

Is Yeezus what hip-hip will sound like in a decade? Maybe.

Is Yeezus groundbreaking? Yes.

And that’s what I’ve learned to love about Yeezus. This CD is one that grew on me. Kinda like “The Brothers of Chico Dusty”. On first listen, I really didn’t like it. I wanted more of the same artist that I’ve grown to love. I wanted to toss the CD out of the window, find their label, and tell them to wrangle the artist into producing more of the same. But, after opening my mind up a little more, I realized that Kanye (and Big Boi) are evolving. They’re not static humans, they’re changing their worldview based on their perceptions of the world around them.

And that translates to new music that evolves with them.

Will Kanye produce some singles in the future that revert back to his soul-sampling days? I’m sure. Will Watch the Throne II push the boundaries? Definitely. Will I continue to dress like him for Halloween? I’m not entirely convinced that I will.

Yo fam! I’m back, once ‘gain, with some rap cigarette quotes. First, let’s take a trip down to Fort Minor…

Hot, right? Cigarettes and the rap game have always seemed to go hand-in-hand. From cigarettes being a look taken on by ‘outlaws’, to rappers proclaiming that they’re against the prevailing culture of the time, the counterculture has always embraced cigarettes in one form or another. However, there has been a new theme rising up, out of the vapors; electronic cigarettes. Wiz Khalifa has debuted a line of hash-oil “e-cigs”, and many celebrities have picked up nicotine-based electronic cigarettes. While we’re on the subject, check out another project of mine, which sells only the highest quality starter kits, atomizers, batteries, and accessories, FlavorPuff.com.

To start off the rap quotes about cigarettes, let’s remember that one of the greats, Tupac, smoked (and rapped) about cigarettes and Newports all of the time. In fact, his group, the Outlawz, reportedly smoked Tupac’s ashes on the beach in Cali, after he was cremated.

Its just like a cigarette, its something that I do Once in awhile but between me and you Its just like a cigarette Nobody’s really fooled I dont want the truth, I wanna feel fucking cool

– Fort Minor, “Cigarettes”

I had a cigarette for breakfast, just for beginners, Cried for my lunch, and sleep for dinner.

– G. Dep, “Everyday,” Child of the Ghetto, 2001

At some point you have to realize there is MORE to life…than Just partying, drama, sex, drugs, smoking and drinking.

Well, lookee here. Orlando’s got Yelawolf coming in next Tuesday, right after finals are over. Ain’t that a coincidence?

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To get warmed up and ready for Catfish Billy to take over on 4/24/12, I’ve delved into Yela’s back catalogue and brushed up on his history. I’ve been a Yelawolf fan since right before 0-60 Trunk Music dropped. Where else in the rap scene can you get a rapper talkin’ about the country scene that I’m familiar with? Sure, there’s the Bubba Sparxxx and Nappy Roots of the world, but no one before Yela has captured the essence of the dirty, grimy, hardcore South as Yelawolf has. When I listen to Yelawolf, I’m transported to an alternate universe where country folk are cooking meth in the kitchen, and everyone’s got more guns than dogs. This ain’t no Jason Aldene country, this is deepwoods, hog-butchering country music.

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